Radium preparation.



HUGQ LIEBEB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RADIUM PREPARATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed September 21, 1905. Serial No. 279,410.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGO LIEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Radium Preparations, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new article of manufacture, radium-preparations, and has for its object the preparation of radium in such form that it can conveniently, efiectively, advantageously and safely be applied in the treatment of disease, and for other purposes.

Naked radium has not heretofore been inserted by physicians into the human flesh, because of the danger anticipated from radium dissolved in the blood. Radium has, therefore, been utilized in medicine only when suitably protected, as by tubes of glass or aluminum or other suitable envelop of suitable protecting material, as described in my application, Serial No. 218,861, filed Jul 30, 1904.

According to my present invention, naked radium is so prepared that it is supplied gradually where desired in proper quantity, and at a proper rate according to the requirements of the physician or person using the radium. For this purpose I impregnate a suitable vehicle or carrier with radium. The vehicle or carrier consists of material capable of being taken up and thereby by degrees exposing or liberating the radium with which it is impregnated. The vehicle or carrier may be taken up by absorption, by dissolution, by

dissolution and absorption, or in any manner which will gradually expose or liberate the radium with which it is impregnated.

A convenient method of producing the radium-prep aration constituting my invention, is to dissolve radium, which is generally used in the form of bromid or chlorid of radium, in water or other suitablesolvent, and to dissolve the vehicle or carrier of suitable material, such as gelatin or agar-agar, for example', in water or other suitable solvent, .and then to mix the two solutions and to permit or cause, in any well known manner, the mixture to thicken, solidify or harden to any required degree. In this way the vehicle or carrier of suitable material will be impregnated with radium. The radium-preparation, so made, may be formed into sheets, strips, balls or other convenient shapes.

A radium-preparation, consisting of' one milligram of bromid or chlorid of radium mixed with two ounces (avoirdupois) of a solution consisting of 5% gelatin and 95% water in the manner described, gives satisfactory results. Obviously the proportions of the ingredients may be varied without departing from this invention.

If the radium-preparation constituting my invention be sewed into a wound or be otherwise applied in the treatment of disease, as by insertion into a cancerous growth, the vehicle or carrier of suitable material, such as gelatin, will be dissolved and absorbed by the liquids and tissues of the body, or taken up, at a practically uniform rate and according to its condition of hardness and other qualities, and a practically uniform quantity of radium will be liberated or exposed at a practically uniform rate and thus freshly supplied where and as desired. In this manner, by the use of my radium-preparation, radium may be applied at a uniform rate, but at so slow a rate and in such small quantities as not to be detrimental to the human system, and as to permit the effective and advantageous application of radium in the treatment of disease.

From the foregoing description of my invention, it will be seen that the rate at which the radium is applied for use is controlled by the rate at which the vehicle or carrier is taken up and at which the liberation of the radium takes place, As the vehicle or carrier is removed, the radium is liberated and applied, and the quantity of radium liberated and applied in a given time depends upon the quantity of radium with which the vehicle or carrier was impregnated and the rate at which the vehicle or carrier is absorbed, dissolved or otherwise taken up or removed.

Radium gives off alpha rays and emana tions. The emanations break down very readily and leave a radio-active residue consisting of radium A, B and C. This residue in turn breaks down and forms radium D, which in turn breaks down and forms radium E, which in turn breaks down and forms radium F. During this breaking down or disintegration radium rays are given off.

When radium is finely distributed throughout gelatin or other suitable vehicle or carrier of the character described, rays and emanations are constantly given off and the emanations are constantly disintegrating or breaking down there is, therefore, within the gelatin or other suitable vehicle or carrier a constant supply of radium products which cannot escape, and which are available for use according to my invention when the gelatin or other suitable vehicle or carrier "is taken up by absorption, by dissolution, by dissolution and absorption, or in any manner which will gradually expose or liberate the radium With which it is impregnated.

I am aware that certain medicinal substances have heretofore been dissolved in gelatin; but no one, so far as I am aware, has heretofore prepared radium, or discovered that radium could be prepared, in such manner that the naked radium can effectively and with safety be brought into contact with the blood and tissues of the body. As above pointed out, radium has heretofore been used in medicine only when suitably covered and protected because of the danger arising from 20 bringing thenaked radium into contact with the blood and tissues of the body.

What I claim is l. A radium preparation, consistin of a vehicle of suitable gelatinous materia im- 25 regnated with a salt of radium, capable of being taken up by the liquids and tissues of the body, and thereby, by degrees, liberating the radium-salt, substantially asdescribed.

2. A radium-preparation, consisting of 30 gelatin impregnated with a salt of radium, substantially as described.

HUGO LIEBER.

Witnesses:

LoUIs HIoKs, H. SoHwErrzER. 

